Transmissions gone wild!

If you've been car shopping recently, or just paying attention to Autoweek car reviews, you've noticed that the six-speed automatic -- de rigueur as recently as a year ago -- suddenly has ratio envy. The new hotness? Eight- and nine-speed automatic transmissions.

Drink Driving rules get tougher

There’s been talk for some time that the government are planning to reduce the current drink driving limit, but, sensibly, it seems they’ve decided, at least for now, that there’s little to be gained by shooting drivers for having a rum baba for desert. Instead, the rules are to be toughened up to make persistent drink drivers jump through more hoops before they can get their licence back. No longer will it be enough to simply get to the end of their ban, they’ll have to prove they are no longer reliant on alcohol and pass a medical.

Aston says One-77 prototype hits 220-mph mark

Aston Martin's One-77 supercar looks fast--and it goes fast. The British luxury-car maker says a prototype of the One-77 notched 220.007 mph during testing in southern Europe. The speed mark was set in dry and windy conditions.